TRUE Advisor Certificate Program Handbook
Updated November 2024
Last updated
Updated November 2024
Last updated
TRUE Advisor is a certificate program that uses instructional design principles to deliver best in class education. The course consists of 12 on-demand, self-paced modules and the assessment is a 75-question exam delivered online via a computer-based testing platform.
The TRUE Advisor certificate demonstrates that an individual possesses basic knowledge of zero waste terminology, tools, technologies, and implementation strategies to assist in the TRUE certification process in accordance with the TRUE rating system.
To be eligible for a TRUE Advisor certificate, you must be 18 years of age or older and agree to .
Individuals must complete the online course and pass the assessment within 180 days of registering in order to earn the TRUE Advisor certificate. The online course is three hours in length; however, it may take participants up to 6.5 hours
to complete the entire course as they complete the activities, download templates and take notes. Your progress will be saved as you work, so you may exit the course at any time to resume where you last stopped. You must view the modules sequentially and review each module in its entirety. Once the review of all 12 modules is completed, you may launch the assessment.
The certificate program provides a comprehensive curriculum for the individual who wants to learn about zero waste policies and programs and help projects participating in TRUE certification. TRUE Advisor certificate holders have a practical understanding of the most current zero waste business principles and they demonstrate a clear commitment to professional growth in advancing TRUE values. After successful completion, a TRUE Advisor will help prepare businesses for TRUE certification and assists organizations through the certification process.
The content of the TRUE Advisor course modules and assessment is aligned with the June 2020 version of the TRUE rating system.
Each course module has a "Resource" slide containing links and downloads. Additionally, each module will come with a set of downloadable guided notes to reinforce the learning and to create a document that can be easily referenced for future use.
You will be permitted a maximum of two opportunities to take and pass the assessment. If your first attempt is unsuccessful, you will need to wait 24 hours before re-taking the assessment. If you do not pass the assessment within these two opportunities in your 180-day registration period, you will be required to register and pay for the certificate program again.
The assessment has both scored and unscored items. All items are delivered randomly throughout the exam and candidates are not informed of an item’s status, so candidates should respond to all the items on the exam. Unscored items are used to gather performance data to inform whether the item should be scored on future assessments.
A score of 77 percent or higher is required to pass and your results will be displayed on screen at the end of the assessment.
To ensure the integrity of the TRUE Advisor assessment, individuals will be required to review and accept the following terms:
The exam and the questions contained therein are the exclusive property of GBCI and are protected by federal copyright law. No part of the exam may be copied, reproduced in part or whole by any means whatsoever, including memorization.
Individual participation in any irregularity occurring during the exam, such as giving or obtaining unauthorized information or aid, as evidenced by an observation or subsequent statistical analysis, may be sufficient cause to invalidate the results of the exam or the certificate issued, or other appropriate remedy.
Individuals verify that they have successfully met the program requirements. If at any time it is confirmed an individual has not met all the requirements, individuals will no longer be eligible for the certificate, or will have their current certificate invalidated.
Individuals verify that they solely are responsible for the answers provided on the exam and that they were not provided assistance by other individuals.
The TRUE Advisor certificate has a five-year term of validity and is valid until February 23, 2027. The first day of your certificate period is the date you successfully completed the course assessment, and your certificate period will remain valid until February 23, 2027. At the end of the five-year certificate term, individuals must complete the updated certificate program. Upon passing the assessment, a new TRUE Advisor certificate with an updated five-year term of validity will be awarded.
There are no annual credential maintenance or renewal requirements for the TRUE Advisor certificate.
Individuals who successfully complete the TRUE Advisor certificate program will earn 7.5 GBCI continuing education (CE) hours and the CE hours will be reflected on the certificate.
The TRUE Advisor certificate may not be revised or altered in any way. It must be displayed in the same format as produced by GBCI and cannot be reproduced unless such reproduction is identical to the certificate provided by GBCI.
Individuals who successfully meet all certificate program requirements are authorized to use the TRUE Advisor designation during the term of the certificate. This designation may not be altered in any way and it must be displayed in full (i.e., TRUE Advisor). Individuals must discontinue use of the designation at the end of the certificate term. Upon retaking the certificate program, individuals will again be able to use the TRUE Advisor designation
Accommodation requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
GBCI does not discriminate or deny opportunity to anyone on the grounds of sex, age, religion, race, marital status, parental status, status as a veteran sexual orientation or nationality.
Because of the need for exam security, GBCI does not release assessment questions or answers to candidates. GBCI does not respond to complaints or appeals received more than 10 business days after an individual’s assessment date and does not respond to complaints or appeals sent to any organizations other than GBCI.
GBCI does not modify assessment scores under any conditions. In the event of a successful exam content appeal, you will be given the opportunity to retest at no charge; your original assessment score will not be changed.
To protect your rights, course completion status and exam results are released only to you and authorized GBCI staff. GBCI does not release exam results except for use in research studies that preserve your anonymity. Participants' scores will always remain confidential unless released with written consent of a candidate.
Official statistics regarding the TRUE Advisor certificate program, including all exam item performance data, individual data and demographic data, will be considered confidential; however, GBCI may publish aggregate, non-identifying information based on such data.
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Call Center: 1-800-795-1746 (within the US) or +1-202-742-3792 (outside the US)
Refer to for the most up-to-date system requirements to view the course modules. Please note that the course modules display best in a browser on a laptop or desktop computer and are not optimized for mobile devices. If you are experiencing difficulties viewing or accessing the course modules, please contact GBCI.
The non-refundable certificate program fee is $350 USD for USGBC members and $450 USD for non-USGBC members. View the for more information on pricing.
Individuals will be assessed to see if they have attained the learning outcomes of the course through a 75-question online exam. You must pass the exam in order to receive the certificate. The link to launch the assessment will be provided in your upon completion of the 12 course modules. The assessment is 95 minutes in total, including a 10-minute tutorial, the 80-minute exam, and a 5-minute survey. You must complete the assessment within the 80-minute exam window. Do not alter the pre-filled keycode field when you launch the assessment. You may not pause, exit, or restart the assessment.
A non-transferable TRUE Advisor certificate will be issued by GBCI only to individuals who meet all certificate program requirements. The certificate will be available for download from the certificate holder’s within 72 hours of passing the assessment.
If a participant has a documented disability that would prevent them from taking the certificate program under standard conditions, they may request a reasonable accommodation under the provisions of the . Reasonable accommodations will be granted to ensure that every participant has the opportunity to learn and test on a level field with others, but not to provide any participant with an unfair advantage over others.
If you require accommodations, you must indicate this during your program registration process by checking the box that says "Yes, I need accommodations." To request accommodations, you and your health care provider will each need to complete one form, the and the , to document the disability and the need for accommodation. Each request will be evaluated individually.
If you wish to submit an exam content appeal, you must submit comments during the assessment on any question(s) believed to contain a technical error in content. You can use the comment button located on the navigation bar. In order to challenge an assessment question, you must comment on the question and provide a brief explanation of your concerns during the assessment. After the assessment, that you have left comments on your assessment; in your correspondence, be sure to note your questions and the email address used to register for the TRUE Advisor program, as well as the date on which you took the assessment. GBCI reviews your concerns and notifies you of the findings.
The only way to earn a TRUE Advisor certificate is to earn a score of at least 77 percent or higher on the assessment. Refer to the for more information.
GBCI recognizes your rights to control personal information. GBCI policy is designed to safeguard this information from unauthorized disclosure (see section 14 and 15 of ). You can change your preference to be contacted by updating your personal preferences in your .
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GBCI's call center is available Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 17:30 ET for questions regarding registration, , and the .
